OTC, CoxHealth partner to establish ASN program in Hollister

Ozarks Technical Community College and CoxHealth partnered to establish an Associate of Science in Nursing program at the OTC Table Rock Campus in Hollister, Mo. Graduates of the ASN program will be eligible to sit for the exam to become registered nurses.

The new ASN program will begin in the fall of 2017. It will have the capacity to produce 24 nursing graduates from the Table Rock campus each year. Previously, the campus only offered a practical nursing program. Now, with the supportive financing from CoxHealth, the OTC Table Rock Campus will expand its programs to offer the ASN as well. The college has added additional science labs and offices for nursing faculty to support the expansion.

College and hospital administrators say the new program will help alleviate the critical shortage of qualified nurses in the healthcare industry.

“This partnership with CoxHealth gives us the opportunity to actively respond to the healthcare needs of our community,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, chancellor of Ozarks Technical Community College. “The new ASN program will particularly benefit Stone and Taney counties as we work to train qualified nurses for the region.”

Steve Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth, added, “Our continued growth and ever increasing demand for more nurses has outpaced the ability of the other fine local colleges and universities to meet the need. This addition will mean much to our community, especially in Branson.”